(image via US Embassy in South Korea/Instagram)
Trump Administration Orders Pride Flag Taken Down From Embassy
Trump Reverses LGBTQ Health Care Protections On Pulse Shooting Anniversary
The Trump administration has finalized a rule allowing health care providers to refuse care to transgender people, including gender reassignment surgery. Reversing an Obama-era regulation, the change in rules at the Health & Human Services Department rolls back an interpretation of prohibiting sex discrimination under Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act that included protections for trans people. Under the Obama administration, discriminating against trans people basically boiled down to animus based on the ‘sex’ of a trans person. In the Trump administration, discriminating against trans people is fine. The announcement on the HHS website adds the new rule will “relieve the American people of approximately $2.9 billion in undue and ineffective regulatory burdens over five years.” Mary Beth Waddell, a senior legislative assistant for the virulently anti-LGBTQ Family Research Council, celebrated the finalized rule in a statement which read in part, “Under the old Obama rule, medical professionals could have been forced to facilitate gender reassignment surgeries and abortions — even if they believed this was a violation of their conscience or believed it harmful to the patient.” Dr. Susan R. Bailey, president of the American Medical Association, issued her opposition in a statement: “Respect for the diversity of patients is a fundamental value of the medical profession and is reflected in long-standing AMA policy opposing discrimination based on race, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or a woman’s decisions about pregnancy, including termination. “The federal government should never make it more difficult for individuals to access health care — during a pandemic or any other time.” Sam Brinton, Vice President of Advocacy and Government Affairs for The Trevor Project issued this statement: “Access to quality health care without discrimination is critical right now, and thankfully, whatever this new rule may say, LGBTQ people are still protected under the law. This rule sends a dangerous and confusing message to health care providers at the worst possible time. In the midst of a global pandemic with serious implications for the LGBTQ youth The Trevor Project serves, the last thing our nation needs is for the Administration to suggest, contrary to the plain language of the Affordable Care Act, that medical care providers don’t have to treat transgender and nonbinary people with the same care and respect as everybody else.” The Human Rights Campaign’s Alphonso David denounced the news saying LGBTQ people “should not live in fear that they cannot get the care they need simply because of who they are.” “It is clear that this administration does not believe that LGBTQ people, or other marginalized communities, deserve equality under the law,” said the HRC president. “But we have a reality check for them: We will not let this attack on our basic right to be free from discrimination in health care go unchallenged. We will see them in court, and continue to challenge all of our elected officials to rise up against this blatant attempt to erode critical protections people need and sanction discrimination.” And Omar Gonzalez-Pagan, of the pro-LGBTQ law organization Lambda Legal, announced his group is planning a lawsuit against the Trump administration. “We will be challenging the rule because at a time when the entire world is battling a dangerous pandemic, which in the United States has infected more than 2,000,000 people and killed more than 116,000, it is critical for everyone to have ready access to the potentially life-saving health care they need,” Gonzalez-Pagan said. While the reversal of the former regulations had been in discussion for some time, Health & Human Services decided to release the announcement on 4 pm just before the weekend in the middle of Pride Month. And the Trump administration’s assault on LGBTQ protections continues…
Documentary Explores Life & Death Of Closeted Anti-Gay Attorney Roy Cohn
L-R Donald Trump, Roy Cohn (screen capture)
The documentary draws on unearthed archival material and audiotapes to paint a portrait of Cohn’s life from the late 1950s as chief counsel to Senator Joseph McCarthy, through to the 1980s when he embedded himself in the Reagan White House as a “rabid anti-homosexuality activist and political mentor” to current U.S. President Donald Trump before dying of AIDS in 1986.
Interviewees include John Waters, Cindy Adams, Alan Dershowitz, Nathan Lane, and Tony Kushner, whose 2018 Pulitzer Prize and Tony-winning revival of Angels In America featured Lane as Cohn.
“Roy Cohn made his name prosecuting and pushing for the execution of my grandparents Ethel and Julius Rosenberg,” said director Ivy Meeropol. “Many years later he became Donald Trump’s lawyer, mentor, and close friend. If there was ever a time to reflect on how we got here it is now. I am so grateful for the opportunity to share the film with HBO audiences.”
“One thing I didn’t know until 1988 was that Cohn was gay and had succumbed to AIDS. Learning this about him made me want to know more about this man and the secret life he led. This clash of feelings, hating a man and believing he was evil while simultaneously feeling empathy for that same man who no doubt suffered in the closet, drove my approach in making this film.”
Vandals Burn ‘FAG’ Into The Front Lawn Of Ohio Gay Couple
(image via Facebook)
“Am I pissed? Livid like you’ve probably never seen me,” wrote Stone in a Facebook post. “Did I go right ahead and mow that sh*t down and go about my day? After filing a police report and finding out many of our neighbors have security cameras that cover our block, you flippin bet I did.” Adding that the couple refuses to let an act of “small-minded ignorance” be allowed to bring negativity into their lives, they created a fundraiser on Facebook for the local organization Have a Gay Day. The organization works to create a safe environment for the purpose of equality, education, and support for the LGBTQ community and its allies. In six days, the fundraiser has racked up nearly $5,000 in donations. “The love and support that has been shown and spread from our story has been incredible,” wrote Stone thanking friends, family, and strangers for their contributions. “Whether you are near or far, thank you for all of the love and compassion you have shown us and each other.” “If this hateful act had to happen, we are thrilled to be able to turn it into a message of love and support,” he added. Arcanum Police Chief Marcus Ballinger told WHIO that the investigation into who is responsible for the vandalism is still underway, but he’s not sure what the culprit would be charged with. “It all comes down to what the prosecutors’ office decides how they want to proceed,” said Ballinger. “Right now we’re in the investigative phase of the case.” Ohio has no statewide hate crime statute regarding crimes against someone for sexual orientation.
Councilwoman Apologizes For Shouting Homophobic Slurs, Won’t Resign
Trenton city councilwoman Robin Vaughn
Having listened to the recorded conference call, it seems to me as though the words came out of her mouth way too easily, as if she uses them on a regular basis. After the rant was reported in the media, Gov. Phil Murphy and both U.S. senators – Sen. Bob Menendez and Sen. Cory Booker – have called for her resignation. But neither local nor state officials have the authority to remove her from office. Christian Fuscarino, executive director of Garden State Equality, told The Trentonian in a statement Sunday:
“Councilwoman Vaughn is unfit to serve the people of Trenton. There’s no need to parse words here: for her hateful anti-LGBTQ language and defending the anti-Semitic slurs of others, she must resign. Her words are an attack on the diversity of Trenton’s community, the city’s elected leadership, and our state as a whole. Any decent-minded New Jerseyan who believes in the success and future of our state’s capital should denounce this hateful rhetoric and call for her to step down immediately.”
Vaughn has reportedly announced she will not resign from her position. Her apology, issued on her Facebook page, begins, “I apologize. That must be the first thing you hear from me.” “I am deeply and specifically sorry for the language that has offended so many,” she continued. “It was also not my intent to attack anyone on the basis of any classification or personal preferences, but I should have been more sensitive to the potential implication of my words and how they might be perceived.” You can see the full statement below. 
During a subsequent teleconference meeting on Tuesday, the city council voted against a call to censure Vaughn.
Anti-LGBTQ Group Asked To Pack Up Central Park Field Hospital
Franklin Graham (screen capture) Field hospital in Central Park (screen capture)
Anti-LGBTQ Activist Scolds Anderson Cooper For Having A Child
Michael Brown (screen capture via YouTube)
Dear Anderson,
Isn’t it an amazing feeling to be a father? To know that the precious little baby that you hold in your arms is, in a real sense, your own flesh and blood? That in a unique way, he carries part of you in his very life and soul? Yet when I saw the announcement of his birth, I felt sadness more than happiness. Sadness for him and for you.
Anderson, a boy deserves his mother, yet if I understand your plan correctly, your son will not be raised together by her and by you. That’s what saddens me the most.
To be clear, I don’t believe that you simply chose to be gay one day. I don’t believe that any more than I “chose” to be straight.
And I don’t mean that you won’t try to be an amazing dad. And a devoted dad. And a caring dad.
[snip]
In many ways, you are a private person, and I’m not trying to intrude in your life. And you may simply write me off as a hateful gay basher.
But it is love that compels me to write. What is best for Wyatt Morgan Cooper?
Brown has a longtime antagonistic history with the LGBTQ community. From railing at Netflix because the streaming company wouldn’t let a so-called ‘straight pride’ organization use their logo for advertising, to calming evangelicals that Donald Trump still hates gays even though he tweeted about Pride Month, to leading a hate march during Charlotte, North Carolina’s Pride Parade. So, yeah, I’m definitely writing him off as “a hateful gay basher.” Walks like a duck, quacks like a duck… (h/t JoeMyGod)
Pro Golfer Dropped By Sponsors After Sharing Homophobic Meme
Scott Piercy (screen capture)
The internet quickly clapped back with many suggesting the post violated the PGA Tour’s conduct unbecoming a professional” mandate. By Tuesday, Piercy issued a non-apology via social media. “Whenever i [sic] post my intent is NEVER to offend,” he said. “I want to apologize if any of my recents [sic] story posts have been offensive. I will do better!” 
The PGA Tour acknowledged the social media activity telling Golf Digest, “We were made aware of Scott’s post and are disappointed in the lack of judgment used.” But three of Piercy’s sponsors went further than that. Titleist, FootJoy, and J. Lindeberg quickly ended their sponsorships with Piercy. “As a global lifestyle brand, we strive to support and show our love and compassion for all demographics around the world,” read a statement by J.Lindeberg to GOLF.com. “When we choose our ambassadors, we choose individuals we know will represent us well on and off the golf course. The claims from Scott Piercy were unacceptable and far from our views and beliefs. We have since terminated our contract with Mr. Piercy.” Although no official statements were released by Titleist or FootJoy, the companies did confirm to GOLF.com that they canceled all business relationships with Piercy following the controversy.
Student Doctor Sues Over Anti-Gay Harassment During NYC Residency
A doctor in New York City has filed a lawsuit alleging he was repeatedly the target of homophobic comments during his first-year residency at The Brooklyn Hospital Center. The New York Post reports Dr. Chad Jensen, a surgical resident, says among the vulgar jokes made at his expense was a supervisor referring to him as a member of the ATM or ‘a** to mouth crew.’ In his lawsuit, filed in Brooklyn Supreme Court, Jensen alleges the surgical residency program director, Dr. Armand Asarian, and Dr. Sandeep Sirsi, the associate director, “regularly made hateful, anti-gay comments about their gay patients and unscientific judgments that these patients’ own ‘lifestyle’ caused their illnesses.” The 32-year-old physician, who left the residency program before his year was up, told the Post he was surprised to experience ‘that kind of discrimination’ in New York City. Jensen moved to New York City from California in June 2017 to take the one-year residency. It was during that time he came out as gay. “It just reinforced all of those fears, essentially putting me back into those 29 years that I was living in fear, feeling like I couldn’t be myself,” Jensen told the Post. According to the lawsuit, the Brooklyn Hospital Center did determine after Jensen’s departure that he “had been harassed because of his sexual orientation.” Asarian was reportedly removed as director of the surgical residency program and Sirsi was forced to resign. Jensen is now a resident in the Bronx at NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln. He tells the Post he brought the lawsuit because he felt “like he had no voice.” “It made me think of all the other people in this country that are also gay and feel like they have nowhere to go and it leads them down dark paths,” Jensen explained to the Post. “So me coming forward, I wanted to let people know that they’re not alone.” The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages and asks for the hospital to institute anti-bias training. (source: NY Post – stock photo via Depositphotos)
Neo-Nazi Pleads Guilty To Planning To Bomb Las Vegas Gay Bar
Conor Climo (screen capture)
As I reported in August, Climo made headlines in 2016 for ‘patrolling’ his neighborhood wearing battle gear and carrying an assault-style rifle and survival knife. At the time, he told local ABC News affiliate KTNV, “I’ll pretty much stay within constitutional bounds when I’m doing this.” ‘Pretty much stay within constitutional bounds???’ He also told the reporter he would be looking for ‘suspicious activity,’ which he defined as “people outside when they’re not supposed to be.” In the interview, Climo admitted he had no formal training in patrolling, policing, or dealing with possibly tense situations. CNN reports Climo will return to court on May 14 where he faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. According to the plea deal, he will also be required to undergo mental health treatment and be monitored via an electronic device upon his release from prison. Climo’s story is especially chilling as Las Vegas was the site of the nation’s deadliest mass shooting in modern US history, when 58 people were killed and more than 500 hurt in October 2017. Here’s the 2016 report from KTNV: